Pastor Francis Chan found himself at the center of controversy recently after suggesting that many Christians are not in a rush to get married because they are already having sex.
A single woman named Caitlin challenged Chan's 2015 argument that there is an increasing number of Christians resisting marriage because they have already broken their vow of celibacy, the Christian Post reports. Her frustrations were brought up on Pastor John Piper's Desiring God podcast during which Piper defended Chan on his previous comments.
Chan had said at the time: "I believe that at least 90 percent of those who are postponing marriage are already sleeping together, so they don't see a big need to rush. There is no sense of 'I want to get married to really consummate this.
"I mean, there is so much immorality in the church, and it is disgusting. People need to know that God hates that."
For Caitlin, Chan's comments were very "dismissive." In fact, Caitlin claimed she could not think of a single couple who has broken their vow of celibacy. "I cannot name a single Christian couple that is in the situation he describes and is therefore delaying marriage. His response felt like it skimmed over a topic with so much more depth to it," she said.
"I know many godly, unmarried Christian women in particular who desire marriage, yet there seems to be so few unmarried Christian men around interested in pursuing any of them," she added. "These women fight daily for purity and joy in the Lord. This is not a fight we take lightly. So to be told that the reason we are not married is because we are engaging in sex before marriage makes us feel profoundly misunderstood and swept to the side."
For his part, Piper defended Chan, saying he wasn't trying to generalize all single Christian men and women.
"First, I know Francis Chan, and I am sure if he were with me here, he would say that the reasons people are marrying later are indeed much more diverse and complex than the fact that lots of couples are substituting sex for marriage," Piper said during an episode of "Ask Pastor John." "I'm starting with the assumption that Francis was emphasizing a particular factor rather than stating it as the only factor."
Piper was glad Caitlin raised the issue, because it gave him the chance to renew the topic. At the same time, her comments showed him that there are still many people who value their relationships with God enough to abstain from premarital sex.
"God is sovereign over your life, and God is good. If you are His child, and - just like you say you are - pursuing the Lord with all your heart, we have it on God's authority that He will withhold from you no good thing. Nothing that is good for you," he said.
